The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1887-01-13
THE ENGINEER WIS DRUNK.
Investigation Into the Horror at Tsfam, on

Investigation Into the Horror at Tidin, Ohio.
Cleveland dispatch: The inquest into
the causes OF the Baltimore & Ohio wreck
at Republic, Ohio. was begun at 2 o'clock
this afternoon at Tiflin. a special dispatch
says that the city hall where the inquest is
being held was crowded. The first witness
examined was l.. +. Fletcher, conductor OF
the train. He said:
ED. Killer was the engineer OF the freight
and w. j. Cullison the fireman. We ran
from Tiffin to Seneca siding, about three
and q half miles east OF here, and side
tracked for the east-bound express. After
this train passed we had ~forty-five minutes
IN which to make Republic siding. We left
this place with 145 pounds of'steam. Al
ter we left this place | noticed that the
train was Stacking. | vent forward over
the cars, eighteen in number, to the engine,
to see what WAS wrong. / found that the
steam had run down to forty pounds. l
opened the door OF the furnace and looked
at the fire; then looked at my watch and
saw that we had but four minutes until
No. 6, the w~est-bound express, was due. l
took a red and white lantern and started
and ran ahead to flag her. got about
100 yards in the curve and signallcd to
stop. AS the express approached L no.
noticed that the engineer had reversed his
engine. In the meantime the freight had
come to a stand and the engineer had shut
off the steam and jumped off when the col
lision occurred. The engineer had been
drinking. | saw him take two drinks of
whiskey at Bloomdale and two at Fos-
toria. When | saw that he had but four
minutes to make the siding ut Republic,
the engineer did not seem to realize the
danger ahead. / tried to get the pussen-
gers out OF the burning cars. | heard no
shrieks or cries OF others in the burning
cars"
w, ]. Culiison, fireman on Tie freight,
WAS the next called. He said hat he vas
q farm hand and had been on the Dad bnt
three weeks. and never knew anything
about the business before. lie said:
We had trouble in keeping up the fire.
We had 40 pounds of steam when we left
Seneca Siding. The train ran four or five
miles, when the steam was dow to sixty
pounds. We were then going about three
miles per hour. The conductor came in,
looked at the fire, and said it was all
right. When the conductor went ahead to
flag and saw the express coming, he yelled
back Tor us to jump, and after the collision
occurred | tried to get the persons out. |
saw persons in there burning, but l was so
excited | could tell but little about it.
Charles Sneider, OF Columbus, was the
first brakeman on the freight. lie said:
/ was in the cab of the engine, and
noticed that they had but one guage OF
water, when they should have at least
three. L was going ahead TO flag but the
conductor grabbed IL lantern and went. |
knew nothing about the conductor or en-
gineer drinking. At the collision | saw a
man hanging about half way out OF the
smoker who called to me for Gods sake to
help him out. The man was supposed to
be NJ. III. Parks. of Washington. l heard
no one on the inside of the smoker.
Thomas F. Heskett, of Wheeling, w. Va,
conductor OF the express on the night of
the collision, testified:
The express was three minutes late at
Republic. | had about sixty passengers;
fourteen or fifteen in the smoker. OF that
number five escaped from the smoker, two
by being thrown out OF the top of the car.
uninjured, and three somewhat injured. /
think there were not more thar ten killed.